The sun is beating down, and the streets are deserted. Times are tough,
everybody is in debt, and everybody is living on credit.

On this particular day a rich tourist from back east is driving through
town. He stops at the motel and lays a $100 bill on the desk saying he
wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one to spend the night.

As soon as the man walks upstairs, the owner grabs the bill and runs next
door to pay his debt to the butcher.

The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to retire his debt to
the pig farmer.

The pig farmer takes the $100 and heads off to pay his bill at the Farmer's
Co-Op his supplier of feed and fuel.

The guy at the Farmer's Co-op takes the $100 and runs to pay his debt to the
local Doctor, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer his
services on credit.

The Doctor rushes to the hotel and pays off his room bill (rent) with the
hotel owner.

The hotel proprietor then places the $100 back on the counter so the rich
traveler will not suspect anything.

At that moment the traveler comes down the stairs, picks up the $100 bill,
states that the rooms are not satisfactory, pockets the money, and leaves
town.

No one produced anything. No one earned anything.

However, the whole town is now out of debt and now looks to the future with
a lot more optimism.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the United States Government is
conducting business today.